Want to watch the Derby from space? That 9 million pixel board could make you want to try.

The Kentucky Derby is a spectacle. There are fancy hats and fancy drinks and fancy celebrities. There are big bets and there is big buzz. And amid the revelry — and the 150,000 people — one important element is sometimes lost in the shuffle.

"One of the complaints people would always make," Churchill Downs President Kevin Flanery said, "was that they went to the Derby and never saw a horse."

For the thousands of fans in the infield or in other awkward viewing spots, that has been a fundamental frustration. But it will not be an issue anymore.

For the opening of the spring meet Saturday, a week before the Derby, Churchill Downs will officially turn on its $12 million, 4K ultra-high-definition video board — the first of its kind in the world.

They're calling it "The Big Board," and it is an apt moniker. The screen, positioned on the backstretch, is so large that it has cut a spot on the edge of the city's skyline, visible from several downtown buildings. Fans in all corners of Churchill Downs will now have an up-close view as the action unfolds — as will people in nearby homes.

Trainer Bob Baffert usually watches the Derby from the paddock, but this year he plans to buy a box now that there will be such a crystal-clear vista.

"The board is awesome," he said. "I saw that board and thought, 'I can finally watch the race on the front now.'"

“It's going to be like a free in-flight movie for people who are landing at the airport. I can't wait to hook a PlayStation up to it.”

Pletcher was referring to the Dallas Cowboys' owner and his absurdly large video screen at AT&T Stadium. (College basketball fans might also remember it from this season's Final Four.) But the Big Board is actually about 30 percent larger than Jones' board, proving that not everything is actually bigger in Texas.

The screen at Churchill Downs is 170 feet wide and 90 feet tall. It sits 80 feet above the ground, putting it 50 feet higher than the grandstand's famed Twin Spires. According to the manufacturer, Panasonic, the board will have 2,160 vertical lines and more than 4,000 horizontal lines of resolution for a total of more than 9 million pixels.

And if that is all Greek to you, Panasonic public relations spokesman Alejandro Verduzco put it more simply:

"This is the biggest 4K display board in the world," he said. "There's really nothing that even comes close to this thing."

The Big Board will become a storytelling mechanism, showing everything from betting trends to candid jockey interviews to tutorials on how to make the perfect mint julep.

All eyes will be on it during the Derby, but its glow will linger beyond next weekend. In addition to use during meets, the Churchill Downs brass is discussing out-of-season options. There have been preliminary talks about movie screenings, concerts, football watch parties and even video game tournaments.

"It's going to be like a free in-flight movie for people who are landing at the airport," said Darren Rogers, senior director of communications at Churchill Downs. "I can't wait to hook a PlayStation up to it."

To complement the dazzling visual display, 750 new speakers have been installed throughout the track, including in the infield. Also, 2,400 grandstand seats have been added near a refurbished terrace area.

Still, the board is the attraction that everyone is talking about and gawking at.

Hall of fame jockey Calvin Borel said the screen's position high above the track will keep it from being a distraction to horses. Some have suggested that jockeys could use the board to monitor oncoming challengers. Borel dismissed that notion, saying jockeys will keep their eyes trained on the track, but that doesn't mean he's not as intrigued as everyone else.